On clear days, silver and blue blade baits work better. Blade baits mimic the shad and shiners sauger eat. Jigging spoons in the same colors also score sauger. Presentation is critical for catching sauger consistently.
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Where can I find sauger in Tennessee?
Where to Fish for Sauger. Cast on Cordell Hull Lake for sauger in winter. The upper section of Old Hickory Reservoir from Hunter’s Point near Lebanon to Cordell Hull Dam in Carthage is a prime location for sauger fishing from January through March.
How do you catch sauger in a river?
Where can I fish for sauger?
You’ll catch your fair share of decent, 2- to 3-pound sauger on the Upper Mississippi, and especially the Illinois River in west-central Illinois. But again, the average fish tends to be on the puny side. Go up to Lake of the Woods and dangle a baited line through the ice, and you’ll likely catch a bunch. They’re fun.
Are there walleye in the Tennessee River?
Although walleye are native to the Tennessee River, their numbers, prior to stocking, have not been at satisfactory levels overall for successful harvest by anglers. Recently however consistent success has been realized through roving creel surveys which record the harvest of walleye by anglers.
Where is the best walleye fishing in Tennessee?
- DALE HOLLOW LAKE.
- CENTER HILL LAKE.
- Old Hickory Lake.
- TIMS FORD RESERVOIR.
- The Cumberland River.
What colors do sauger see best?
Sauger typically lay right on or close to the bottom and look up for prey to ambush. They have good vision and can see the colors green and orange best.
How do you catch a sauger in winter?
- Saugers may hold in 50 feet of fast water in winter.
- Snip off and save a slice from the head segment of a twist-tail grub.
- Thread a No.
- Finish by tipping the jig with a big, lively minnow or shad and bury the stinger hook in its side.
What do sauger fish eat?
Diet. Saugers feed on a variety of invertebrates and small fishes depending on the time of year and size of the sauger.
What do saugeye bite on?
Saugeyes can be taken with light spinning and bait casting tackle using spinners, spoons, or live bait like minnows or night crawlers.
What is the best water temperature for saugeye fishing?
As the water warms in late spring, many disperse back downstream into shallow, turbid reservoirs. In muddy reservoirs without much current, riprap areas along the face of the lower dam may attract and concentrate spawning saugeyes when the water temperature reaches the mid-40F to mid-50F range.
Is Saugeye good to eat?
Both walleye and saugeye are great fish for eating. However, despite some people calling walleye the best-tasting freshwater fish in the world, many locals prefer saugeyes over walleyes. This might be partly due to the freshness, but they believe that sauger and saugeye taste a little sweeter than walleye.
Where do saugers live?
Sauger typically live in large turbid rivers and lakes. Adult sauger use off-channel habitats during spring and early summer periods of high flows, and generally return to main channel, deep, low velocity pool habitats with high turbidity during the summer and fall.
How can you tell a walleye from a sauger?
Difference Between Sauger and Walleye Body Color: Sauger are a brassy color with large dark blotches. Walleye are a solid golden color all across their upper body. Dorsal fin: Sauger have dark spots on their top (dorsal) fin. Walleye don’t have spots, but their last two spines are solid black.
What is the best bait for walleye fishing?
Minnows. Minnows are the most popular bait option for Walleye Anglers, I have found consistent success with Shiner and Flathead Minnows. When targeting bigger fish, Shiners in the 4-6″ range are the mainstay, these will weed through some of the smaller fish and get you on 25″+ Walleye.
What fish are biting on the Tennessee River?
The Tennessee River offers fishing for species not found in other drainages of Alabama. Some of these fisheries are among the top in the United States, including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and blue catfish. Spread over four reservoirs, the Tennessee River in Alabama offers excellent fishing for all anglers.
How do you hold a sauger?
Where can I find walleye in Tennessee?
The best lakes for walleyes are Dale Hollow, Center Hill, Watauga and Norris. Secondary walleye holes are Tellico, Chilhowee, Tims Ford, South Holston and Woods. Let’s start with the upper Cumberland River at Cordell Hull Lake.
What state has the most walleye?
1. Minnesota. All other claimants can stand down. No state has more lakes, rivers, streams, and reservoirs stuffed with walleyes than Minnesota.
Are there walleye in East Tennessee?
Watauga Lake is one of the best lakes in East Tennessee for walleye. It doesn’t matter what time of year you are fishing, you have a good chance of catching a walleye weighing 10-pounds or more from Watauga.
What is the world record for walleye?
So let the record be known in the walleye world that the world record walleye of 25 pounds which measured 41 inches in length was caught by Mabry Harper in the great state of Tennessee in 1960 was a most well documented claim and there has never been any evidence to prove the contrary.
What is considered a big sauger?
Saugers are not known for their size; adults commonly measure 12 to 15 inches, and those over 20 inches are considered large. Saugers have a reflective layer in their eyes that aids night vision and is even more developed than that in walleyes. Habitat and Range.
How do you tell a sauger from a saugeye?
saugeye. Saugeye outgrow sauger by several inches and pounds. While both fish will have dark blotches on their bodies, sauger are generally darker and more tanned than saugeye. Saugeye will also have a white tail patch, which sauger lack completely.
What colors can fish not see?
The majority of fish have developed eyes that will detect the type of colors typical of their environment. For example, inshore fish have good color vision, whereas offshore pelagic fish have limited color vision and detect only a few if any colors other than black and white.
Where do River walleye go in winter?
DEEP SPOTS Deeper river pools, ones out of the flow of the river’s main force, become the wintertime sanctuary for ‘eyes. Holes located below current-deflecting structures like gravel/rock bars often hold fish.